Archive for month: February, 2018

Trying to improve customer satisfaction from a management standpoint can sometimes feel like an exercise in futility. It seems that no matter how hard you try, one unhappy customer’s negative feedback online overshadows any reservoir of goodwill you’ve managed to build.

Still, almost any manager will agree that customer satisfaction is important. The question is how to go about improving it in a strategic and measurable way.

Identify Your Brand of Customer Satisfaction

An organization’s brand of customer satisfaction depends on specific factors, such as branding, marketing strategy, industry, and product/service.

Some organizations take the shotgun approach and work on improving the entire customer experience (as is the case with Whole Foods), while others go for more specific attributes, such as speed (like Amazon), premium quality (Apple), or efficiency and on-time performance (airline companies).

“Identifying how and where to improve customer satisfaction helps to focus your efforts, predict where you’re going, and measure your progress,” says Scott Adamonis, Vice President of Sales at The Reserves Network.

Build on Your Unique Selling Proposition

If you’re not quite sure where to start delivering different customer service experiences, go back to your unique selling proposition (USP), or what makes you different from your competitors.

For example, if your business is digital marketing consulting and your USP revolves around your expertise and efficiency, your customers’ satisfaction will naturally come from the experience they have with your consultants whose expertise they rely on for advice.

Once you have a clear grasp of your USP, it becomes easier to incorporate your customer service approach where appropriate. In the above case, this would be investing in interpersonal and communication training for your consultants and customer support staff.

Set and Exceed Expectations

Never leave your customers in the dark. The moment they come across your company, let them know what your standards are, how you operate, and how you intend on delivering your promises. How long until they receive an order? How much can they save by choosing this product over the others? How long will they wait before getting a response from an inquiry?

Once you’ve set your customers’ expectations, you can increase consumer satisfaction by exceeding them.

Promised on your site to deliver in two days? Do it in one day instead. Did you offer great customer support? How about offering discounts/coupons to customers with product/service problems to make up for the inconvenience?

Pick Your KPIs

If sales are declining because of low customer satisfaction, the simplest thing you can do is ask your customers what’s wrong. Take your pick from customer surveys, social listening, or customer reviews.

Once you’ve gathered enough data, you can tie KPIs such as brand attributes, overall satisfaction, and net promoter scores to measure the factors that matter most to your customers. These insights will help you determine where to divert resources for employee training, systems improvement, and long-term customer service planning.

If and when it’s time to hire more customer support staff, talk to the staffing specialists of The Reserves Network. Call our offices to learn more about our staffing solutions for any kind of customer-facing role.

https://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.png00adminhttps://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.pngadmin2018-02-28 09:30:042018-02-13 15:47:48Do You Have a Clear Strategy for Improving Customer Service Satisfaction?

Paula Patterson from The Reserves Network’s Tampa office appeared on The Debbie Lewis Show on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 to discuss the staffing industry.

Listen now!

https://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.png00adminhttps://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.pngadmin2018-02-21 16:15:292018-02-21 16:18:38TRN Featured in National Podcast

As more members of Generation Z—individuals born between 1998 and 2016—enter the workforce for the first time, the average workplace has never been more age-diverse. This may make it more challenging to connect with employees from different generations.

Fortunately, communication issues in a multigenerational workplace can be solved with the right approach.

Get Everyone on the Same Page

When Baby Boomers and Generation X entered the workforce, offices were dominated by suits and ties, Rolodexes, and telephones. Things have changed a lot since then, with smartphones becoming an indispensable tool for social media, email, and instant messaging to the average worker.

Managers—to avoid confusion, get everyone on the same page regarding what forms of communication are promoted in the office. If everyone knows how and where to communicate, there’s a lower likelihood of conflict. Older workers can be trained to use new technologies, while younger workers can be taught proper decorum when sending and receiving messages, if needed.

Use Multiple Channels of Communication

If you want to keep everyone happy, offer a diverse range of communication channels according to your team members’ comfort zones.

Listen to what your employees want.

Are they more comfortable with face-to-face communication? If so, promote a culture of coaching and mentoring. If they’re comfortable with social media, make sure to help all employees get on board.

Again, it all boils down to setting expectations on how and where your people should communicate.

Promote a Culture of Asking Before Assuming

Miscommunication among multigenerational staff members often comes from failing to ask questions and listening to each other. It is important to encourage your team to always communicate with one another instead of making assumptions.

More importantly, have your company lead by example by providing a space to talk with employees and check on their needs, challenges, and progress from time to time.

Be Open to Training Your Employees

Create an environment of learning and coaching for different generations to help each other. Younger workers can learn a thing or two from the older generation, while older employees can learn how to adapt to evolving technologies.

Bottom line? Differences in communication preferences can be remedied with a culture of respect. If your company needs assistance with this aspect of workforce management, talk to the staffing specialists of The Reserves Network. Call our offices to learn more about our staffing solutions.

https://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.png00adminhttps://trnstaffing.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/logo.pngadmin2018-02-21 09:30:542018-02-13 15:42:21This Strategy Will Help You Better Communicate with a Multigenerational Staff

Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inavero’s Best of Staffing Client winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.3 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

Focused on helping companies find the right people for their job openings, The Reserves Network received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 65% of their clients, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 32%. Less than 2% of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada have earned the Best of Staffing Award for service excellence.

“In temporary staffing, loyalty is hard to come by,” says TRN’s CEO Neil Stallard. “For 34 years, TRN has worked tirelessly to earn and keep our reputation as a provider that believes in and lives Quality, Reliability, and Integrity. We are grateful for our opportunities to service the best employers in each of our markets and know that their success is our success. Our teams are honored to earn this recognition directly from our customers as validation that we are on the right track.”

“With a tight labor market and growing economy, finding the right recruiting partners is critical to success,” said Inavero’s CEO Eric Gregg. “Best of Staffing winners prove they can provide consistently remarkable service to their clients and job candidates, and I couldn’t be more proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com.”

About The Reserves Network

Founded in 1984, The Reserves Network provides staffing services to the office, industrial, professional and technical markets. The company places nearly 20,000 employees at its more than 40 operating locations in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, and works with customers nationwide. This includes temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire placements in a wide variety of professional fields and trades. Headquartered in Fairview Park, Ohio, the family and veteran-owned company has received multiple honors for outstanding sales growth, management excellence and customer service.

About Inavero
The Inavero team administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. Committed to delivering ongoing value to the industry, Inavero is proud to serve as the American Staffing Association’s exclusive service quality partner.

About Best of Staffing

Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com – an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need.

The 3.8 percent employment rate in the manufacturing industry is lower than the national average of 4.1 percent, but this still translated to an increase of 25,000 jobs (a total of 196,000 jobs) in 2017. That means there are thousands of openings awaiting workers in this sector.

While this is always good news for employees, it can also lead to lower retention rates for employers, with workers more likely to seek better opportunities elsewhere. Firms must anticipate the many factors that lure manufacturing workers out the door by giving their staff enough reason to stay.

You’ll often hear the phrase, “People don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.” And true enough, one Gallup poll found that 50 percent of employees who leave cite their manager as the reason. So, let’s start there. One way to prevent turnover might be to train your supervisors to build strong relationships with employees, creating a harmonious and productive work environment.

Listed below are a few ways to do just that.

Provide Feedback

Today’s workers hate being left in the dark. They don’t appreciate being told to do something without getting any feedback on whether what they’re doing is even right or wrong.

Unfortunately, scheduled feedback isn’t occurring in many manufacturing firms. Feedback doesn’t have to be stuffy and formal. If anything, it should be constant, quick, and always constructive. Most of all, the process of providing and receiving feedback should be participatory.

Shift supervisor feedback from “I think this is what you should have done,” to “What do you think we can increase production?”

Let Workers Know Their Progress

Supervisors should also let employees know their progress in relation to what’s being expected of them. It doesn’t have to be complicated; saying something as simple as, “Thanks for the hard work today. You played an important role in our progress!” goes a long way toward keeping your people motivated. Do one better and connect this feedback to goals you and the employee in question had already set beforehand.

Nurture an Environment of Transparency

Employees in the manufacturing industry are less likely to quit if they feel empowered by their supervisors. Such leaders share information, listen to employees, delegate responsibilities, and hold everyone—including themselves—accountable for their actions.

Transparency is the answer to these issues. Supervisors need to ask their team members for feedback and ideas while simultaneously letting them know that they have to make tough calls that look at the bigger picture.

For more workforce management guides and insights, be sure to follow this blog. If you need coaching on how to handle your manufacturing teams, let the staffing services experts of The Reserves Network help you. Call our offices to learn more about our recruitment solutions.

Job seekers often research what steps to take when looking for a job, the requirements they need, the questions to prepare for, and the information their resumes should have. However, there are many less-tangible factors just as important to hiring managers.

“Your attitude and disposition go a long way toward making yourself memorable in the minds of hiring managers,” said Carolyn Brocket, Florida Regional Director at The Reserves Network.

Take a closer look at a few qualities you should cultivate for a successful job search:

Tenacity

Hiring managers want employees who are driven by the desire to go after the things they want, refusing to let anything (or anyone) get in their way.

This isn’t to say that you should be overly aggressive. It’s more about showing perseverance and going the extra mile when applying for work.

Things like being early for an interview, offering more information about what may be vague on your resume, or even showing awareness of your weaknesses but also taking action to fix them shows you have grit.

Positivity

Everyone talks about the need to “be positive” when looking for a job, but what exactly does that mean?

If you’ve been looking for a job for months, it can be hard to feel positive all the time. The trick is to show a positive attitude to potential employers anyway.

It starts with dressing for success—you never know who you might bump into and what authority they have to get you a job.

Always flash a winning smile during your interview.

Never appear to sulk or frown in front of the interviewer—that’s a sure way to set a bad first impression.

Don’t talk about how you’re tired after job hunting for months; this only shows the interviewer no one has yet considered you for a job.

Confidence

Do you honestly believe you’re a worthwhile hire? Do you think you have the skills and experience to impact an organization?

If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect a hiring manager to do the same?

This may sound like a cliché, but how you view yourself matters a great deal in how people perceive you. Being confident is not arrogance: arrive at an interview with the mindset that you’re someone worth considering as a viable candidate.

Preparation

Handing the interviewer your well-prepared and detailed resume (complete with correct grammar and a courteous smile) shows your potential boss you like to keep things tidy. Dressing the part and showing that you came prepared for the interview are also ways to let them know you are organized and ready to help their company succeed.

Never underestimate the value of personal attitude and mindset when hunting for a job. If you need further assistance on your job search, talk to the staffing services experts of The Reserves Network. Call our offices to learn more about our recruitment solutions.

The Reserves Network, Inc., a leading provider of staffing services for the office, industrial, professional and technical markets, has acquired Chicago-based professional staffing firm Mark/Ryan Associates.

Founded in 2004, Mark/Ryan specializes in accounting, finance and office contract and direct hire staffing services with two Greater Chicago offices. The company will maintain the Mark/Ryan name and brand, and operate as an affiliate of The Reserves Network.

Ryan Paquette, founder and president of Mark/Ryan, will continue to oversee business operations. All internal employees will remain with the company.

“Like Mark/Ryan, The Reserves Network is self-made and founded on the values of quality, reliability and integrity,” says Paquette. “We look forward to introducing the enriched benefits and services of this new partnership to our employees and customers.”

The Reserves Network has served the staffing needs of the Illinois business community since 2006. Mark/Ryan’s Chicago and Schaumburg offices add to the company’s six existing locations in Lombard, Matteson, Oak Lawn, Peru, Shorewood and Streator, along with multiple on-sites in the region.

“This is an exciting time for our Illinois market,” says Neil Stallard, CEO of The Reserves Network. “By continuing to deliver the same care and quality service to our customers, candidates and community, we will now be introducing the additional expertise Mark/Ryan brings.”

Adds Nicholas Stallard, chief financial officer of The Reserves Network: “Mark/Ryan joining The Reserves Network’s family of businesses is a perfect compliment to our long-term strategy of continuous growth and further development of service offerings and capabilities.”

Headquartered in the Cleveland suburb of Fairview Park, Ohio, The Reserves Network was founded in 1984. The veteran and family-owned company is privately held, and has received multiple honors for outstanding growth and management excellence. The Reserves Network employs nearly 20,000 employees annually through its more than 40 operating locations in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, and works with customers nationwide.